All Environment
First LookTrash talk: Are waste-to-energy plants a sustainable solution?An increase in residential garbage production over the past year is sparking debate about the merits of waste-to-energy plants. Some say burning trash carries environmental and health risks, while others consider it a viable alternative to landfill disposal.
First LookThe Great Salt Lake is drying. Here's why that matters.One of the largest natural lakes in the U.S. is set to hit a 170-year low this year, and drought will only make matters worse. As the Great Salt Lake shrivels, it's taking a toll on local wildlife, businesses, and air quality.聽
鈥楥reation care鈥�: How churches aim to save a warming planetIn Canada, a 鈥渨ild church鈥� movement聽symbolizes growing urgency around climate change. In the U.S., too, many faith communities embrace the issue.
Letter from a heat-parched West: How times and temps have changedBefore summer even officially started, new temperature records were baked into the books in places like Salt Lake City and Sacramento, California.
First LookPrescribed burns reduce wildfire risk but landowners remain waryAs wildfire season intensifies each year, prescribed burns, first introduced on the West Coast in the 1950s, are increasingly being recognized as a way to control forest undergrowth. Yet, the risks of harm and financial liability when a burn goes wrong slow adoption.
First LookNot so great: UNESCO adds Australia's reef to endangered sitesIn a controversial effort to bolster Australia鈥檚 climate change response, the聽U.N. World Heritage Committee intends to downgrade the Great Barrier Reef鈥檚 World Heritage status. Australia, while acknowledging climate change, said the claim is overblown.聽
First LookWetlands and hot sauce: Tabasco company stems erosion with grassMcIlhenny Co. brews Tabasco sauce on Avery Island, Louisiana. Sinking land has been a problem throughout southern Louisiana, but Avery Island is slowly rising, thanks to the grass-planting efforts of the company in order to protect its factory.
Climate conundrum: Tax on emissions is pragmatic but unpopularJoe Biden is seeking an unprecedented level of U.S. reductions in greenhouse gas emissions 鈥� yet shying away from one major tool for doing that.
First LookIf Jamaica wants more tourists, do more trees have to go?On the coast of Jamaica, developers are building a $550 million resort, which they say will create 3,500 jobs. They have also promised to replant the mangroves, seagrass, and coral they will displace 鈥� but critics worry it won鈥檛 be enough to preserve the local ecosystem.聽
First LookSolar geoengineering? Not in our skies, say Indigenous groups.Harvard researchers are studying whether partially blocking the sun using particles high in the atmosphere can reverse global warming. Indigenous peoples and environmental activists are urging the scientists to scrap what they see as an unproductive and risky project.聽
First LookWhere do birds fly? Tracking backpacks hold the answer.With new technological advances, including smaller, lighter tracking chips, scientists can tag a larger variety of bird species. The data from these tags, which can be retrieved without re-capture, may solve mysteries about migratory patterns and population decline.聽
First LookIn Minnesota, pipeline protestors prepare for 'summer of resistance'In northern Minnesota, protesters have pledged a 鈥渟ummer of resistance鈥� as a Canadian energy company prepares to rebuild an oil pipeline across the region. The resistance to energy pipelines comes with growing awareness of environmental inequality.
First LookBiden aims to secure species protections revoked by TrumpThe Biden administration is pushing to restore regulations protecting vulnerable species that the Trump administration previously scrapped. Many Republican lawmakers worry the protections are a hindrance to economic development.聽
First LookDeforestation isn't helping farmers in Brazil. So what might?A new study shows that deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon has led to less rainfall, and therefore less income, for farmers. But researchers are hopeful that new crops and farming methods can keep agriculture profitable while also protecting forests.
First LookWildflower and lithium mine compete for space in Nevada desertIn Nevada, an Australian mining company鈥檚 plans to build a large-scale lithium mine in the U.S. may be uprooted by a rare wildflower. While the mining company insists the mine and the flower can co-exist, environmentalists disagree.
First LookWhy some cities are wary of bitcoin mining's high energy tollEnvironmentalists and local governments are increasingly worried about the high-energy consumption that comes with producing some cryptocurrencies. In one case, a bitcoin 鈥渕ining鈥� facility was responsible for a third of a Montana county鈥檚 electricity usage.
Cover StoryClimate versus jobs? Not in this heartland state.Climate action 鈥� driven by profitable clean energy 鈥� is merging with economic progress, pushing the climate debate toward irrelevance.
First LookIn bid to cut emissions, Bogot谩 turns to residents for solutionsAs part of聽an effort to cut climate-changing emissions and pollution, residents in Colombia鈥檚 capital city have united to reimagine their transportation system and to shift toward greener travel options.
Capturing carbon emissions: pragmatic solution or costly distraction?It鈥檚 no substitute for wind or solar power. But justified or not, the idea of capturing smokestack emissions seems to be gaining bipartisan support.聽
First Look'Victory for our planet': Royal Dutch Shell must cut emissionsThe Hague District Court has ruled聽Royal Dutch Shell must cut its carbon emissions by 45% by 2030.聽The landmark case will likely set a global precedent for holding polluting multinational organizations聽accountable for curbing emissions.